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Lukashenko: It is important for Belarusians to keep their identity in today's world

Monday, 15 January 2018

It is important for Belarusians not to lose their identity in today's rapidly changing world. Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko made the statement during the reception held on 12 January to celebrate Old New Year, BelTA has learned.

The current generation of Belarusians lives in a very complicated period of time. Speaking about Belarus' development, the country's position in the tumultuous and rapidly changing world, Alexander Lukashenko noted that the nation can in no way distance itself from negative processes. “We have to learn how to counteract them,” stressed the head of state. “We should learn how to live in this world, how we should adjust yet preserve our identity, the roots, from which the Belarusian nation stems.”

Speaking about future, Alexander Lukashenko sincerely noted without any populism that things will not be easy. “Things will not be easier than they were in 2017 or previous years. But we've set out to reach ambitious goals. We should reach the goals whatever the cost. If we don't do it year after year, the days of our Belarusian statehood are numbered,” said the head of state.

How the country will develop and what Belarus will be like in the future depend on every citizen. “Our life is not magnificent and not even good. It is bearable for now,” said Alexander Lukashenko. According to the president, there is hope the situation will improve.

Speaking about the attitude to the country's accomplishments in Belarus and abroad, the head of state reminded: “It is sad when one has no friends. It is tragic when one has no enemies. We probably have both friends and enemies. It means we have some future ahead of us,” added Alexander Lukashenko.

Such receptions ahead of Old New Year celebrations have become a good tradition. Representatives of mass media and creative intelligentsia — successful, beautiful, inspired people — have been invited to attend the reception, noted Alexander Lukashenko. How Belarusians will be judged as a nation depends a lot on how these people look. Yet publicity and popularity represent a great responsibility, noted Alexander Lukashenko. “You are the face of our nation. You should be an example to follow, true icons of culture, etiquette, and style. Recognizable people — television, culture, and art workers, sport athletes — are capable of making healthy lifestyle or in-depth knowledge fashionable, capable of inspiring pride in our nation. It is their mission,” stressed the head of state.

Before presenting the state awards Alexander Lukashenko noted that people employed in artistic occupations have no holidays to celebrate since they are the ones to arrange all the festivities. He thanked the creative elite for everything they did the previous year and wished them greater accomplishments this year.

A number of mass media professionals were given the president's letters of commendation and state awards for many years of fruitful and hard work, for covering the most important events in the country's social, economic, public, and political life, for creating common information space and advancing Belarus-Russia cooperation in television and radio. Vladimir Pertsov, Director of the Belarusian branch of the interstate television and radio company Mir, was awarded a Francysk Skaryna Medal. Another medal went to Olga Makei, department head at the Television News Agency of the Belarusian State Television and Radio Company.

A number of other mass media professionals, including representatives of BelTA, the Belarusian State Television and Radio Company, the interstate television and radio company Mir, the TV channel Belarus Two, and the TV channel STV were awarded letters of commendation.

The singer Alexander Solodukha was awarded the title Honored Artist of the Republic of Belarus for the considerable personal contribution to the development and popularization of Belarusian pop singing art.